


Justice is a Blanket

by Capucine



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Blankets, Brotherly Affection, Brothers, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Healing, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Justice, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-04 18:29:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6669574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capucine/pseuds/Capucine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Justice, in the case of Damian Wayne, is not smashing him.</p>
<p>It's helping to heal him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Justice is a Blanket

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the prompt combo of the word 'Justice' and the tag 'Blankets'.
> 
> A short oneshot while I am still recovering. :P

Justice.

It was a cold, hard word to so many.

But, in Dick’s mind, it only had to be if you did evil. If you did something that made it painful. If you had a reason to be afraid of things being paid back.

And Damian?

No. Justice wasn’t beating the shit out of him, locking him away, or hurting him more.

It had taken him some time, but Dick had realized that Damian was hurting. Yes, other people at times, but he meant internally. He had a lot of pain inside, and he didn’t know what to do with it.

He had to stop him from hurting other people, but by that token, justice demanded that he stop other people from hurting Damian.

He was a _child_ , put through unimaginable violence.

And this was driven home when he was dosed up with fear gas.

It was a variant—one that made you relive your worst memories. And Damian seemed to have no limit of horrific memories, fighting imaginary tormentors whose names switched so fast that Dick could barely keep up, the things he begged them not to do switching so fast.

The words, ‘He _promised_ , Grayson promised, it’s done—‘ striking straight through to his core.

Damian was in the throes of whatever torment a man with a Russian sounding name was putting him through by the time that Dick was able to get to him, the boy thrashing and evidently trying to protect his feet.

Dick…was not certain what to do. But, what he did have was a blanket, and he had retrieved that, fluffy and yellow. He had his Robin bundled up in it before he could reconsider, before Damian could escape.

The boy seemed very confused, and Dick held him tight, already able to see the lacerations and hurts he’d inflicted on himself.

“I’m here. I did promise—you’re safe.”

Fear-gas hazed eyes tried to focus on him, mouth trembling violently as Damian tried to swallow instead of continuing the string of drool down his chin. 

Dick administered the antidote, and continued to hold tightly, even when Damian whimpered and made the attempt to get free. 

Damian came around slowly, and when he did, after his head rested against Dick’s chest for a moment, his mouth set in a hard line. “Grayson,” he said, voice scratchy, “This is unacceptable.”

And Dick could have agreed. If they were talking about the same thing.

It was unacceptable to put a child through that much. It was unacceptable to take away being a child. It was unacceptable to torment to the point that there were too many options for nightmares.

Dick carefully stood, still holding Damian. “No, this is what a big brother does. This is what Batman does.”

Damian did not seem sure Bruce would have ever done this, and his shaking limbs seemed to prevent a fast, violent escape. His eyes were confused, flashing between pain and anger and some sort of desperation.

He pretended his head was too weak to hold up, letting it rest against Dick’s chest. “Very well, but I will be capable again within minutes. In the meantime, you may carry me to the Batmobile.”

Always on his terms.

Dick almost laughed, and carried his brother to the Batmobile, still bundled in the blanket.

The blanket ‘disappeared’ after that episode, but Dick knew where it was: hidden among Damian’s precious things, and only used when sure of no surveillance.

It made him smile. One small comfort wasn’t much, but it was something.

It was the start of justice.

**Author's Note:**

> I get the feeling I had a yellow blanket or something as a kid, cause that seems to always be the color I choose for comforting blankets.
> 
> Still recovering from a head injury, which is fun. Continuity/canon is probably all over the goddamn place in this. Sorry.


End file.
